Flight of fancy

Honda gets ready to launch the Aviator, their third scooter for India.

Honda will launch the Aviator across India on March 6. Based on the Activa platform, it shares the 7 bhp 102cc engine, and most of the chassis. But styling aside, there are small but significant changes.

The aim was to create an upmarket scooter targeting mature males, hence the choice of glossy but subtle colours. The styling moves away from the unisex

Activa and the youthful Dio. The Aviator looks classy, though not outright handsome and yes, upmarket too. The tall stance "" seat height is up a bit "" and the design do look male-friendly. The fit-finish is excellent and the body panels are mostly metal with some ABS plastic panels standing in.

Perhaps the most significant change is the 12-inch wheel up front. Larger wheels lend stability and a larger front wheel, in particular, gives the steering added weight. This makes the Aviator feel more stable without robbing it of manouverability. Honda also upgraded to telescopic forks, and extended the wheelbase a tiny bit, all of which bolster the dynamics.

The Aviator feels confident in a straight line, or when taking a corner. The greatest improvement, though, is in the ride, which has an almost motorcycle-like quality to it. The top model, Rs 3,900 more expensive than the base, will also get a disc front brake which functions with authority and inspires confidence. All told, the handling and ride quality are way better than the Activa, far more than you would expect from the spec sheet.

Honda chose to stick with the ultra-refined 102cc engine. But there are minor tweaks like the inclusion of a new air cleaner, and some changes to the transmission. The result is that you won't really notice the 1/1.5 bhp the Aviator gives away to the Kinetic Flyte/Suzuki Access. The Aviator feels sprightly and the power delivery is smooth. Honda says there is a small increase in low- and mid-range torque, which is why it feels so eager.

The lower variant of the Aviator sports a drum front brake and steel wheels and will cost Rs 47,137 on-road Mumbai, while the alloy wheel/disc brake version will cost Rs 51,088. That's roughly Rs 5,900 more than the Activa for the base model. That is a fair bit of money, but the Aviator is a definite forward from the excellent Activa.